My first pregnancy was going so smoothly for the first and second trimester. I rarely felt any nausea, had incredible energy and felt as if everything was going along as it should. Right around 26 weeks, I started to notice my feet swelling and didn't think anything of it, or I guess I thought it was normal. At 27 weeks I started to feel a pain in my upper abdomen. I struggled with it for 2 days before I told my husband something was wrong. When I got to the doctor, they told me about my high blood pressure and large amount of protein in my urine so I was admitted right away to the hospital where I was told that the baby would need... Read More

My HELLP Syndrome went undiagnosed for 2 weeks along with 2 misdiagnoses. When I hit 31 weeks I couldn't take the excruciating stomach (URQ) and back pain. It was like my whole body was on fire. I was first misdiagnosed with bronchitis and sent home with a demorral shot with no blood work. A week later I went in and they tried to tell me I had gallbladder disease and tried to give me a shot for it and I refused. They finally did blood work after an hour of no one coming in, a nurse from OB (no I was never sent to maternity either visits) ran in and said I needed... Read More

When I found out I was pregnant I was the happiest woman in the world. I immediately went up to my husband and told him the wonderful news. The next day I scheduled an appointment with an OB GYN for my first check up. Everything went smooth up until I reached 3 months. I was throwing up every day, got migraines, and felt very fatigue. However, when I reached my second trimester, it was the happiest time during my pregnancy not only because I didn't have any pregnancy symptoms but because I also felt very energized. During an OB visit one day, they informed me that my blood pressure was 'very' high and asked me if it was ever high before. A red flag went up, and I immediately knew... Read More

When I was pregnant I had no signs of the pre-eclampsia I was due on the 7th of January but my waters broke on the 12th the hospital left me for 3 days in labour. So when I had the seizure they gave me an emergency c section and that's when my baby boy was born 15 January. The hardest part was I didn't get to see him when he was 1st born and for 1 week I wasn't able to be a mum and it breaks my heart everyday when I hold him I cherish every moment with him.

Hello, My name is Crystal Cusack, I’m 24 years old and I was blessed with my beautiful daughter who is 3 months old named Abigail. During my pregnancy we knew that I was high risk due to my blood pressure issues, well by my 3rd trimester we were diagnosed with Preeclampsia. I did everything that I could to not have Preeclampsia, I was dieting, working out and even drinking plenty of water (which I do all those things already). Week of October 25th 2015 I was induced; we went in on October 27th 2015. As the nurses and doctors came in one by one hooking me up to all these machines, IV’S and magnesium I was starting to get scared. By October 29th 2015 at 5am I was already in 25 hours of... Read More

On March 25th 2015 I had high BP and got to later know it was preeclampsia.My gyn saw me adding weight and swollen face and feet but never educate me on preeclampsia which I have not heard before (first-time mum). I lost our son at 30 weeks; I was induced and had to deliver baby Jaden (stillbirth). I and my husband really felt bad because we were so attach to him especially when he kicks. Later in July I conceived and my new ob/gyn prescribed baby aspirin to prevent it from occuring starting from 5 weeks but when I was almost done with my dose a scan was done, but baby was not growing at 8 weeks and no heartbeat. I later miscarried. Now I am pregnant at 11 weeks, my new ob has prescribed... Read More

I discovered I had severe preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome in March 2015. I was going to all my prenatal checkups to make sure everything was okay with me and baby. My last 2 prenatal checkups were not normal: I was gaining a significant amount of weight that my OB thought was strange, but didn't do further testing to see if things were ok. I had my last sonogram the end of February and found I was having a boy. We hadn't decided on a name since we figured we'd have more time to think. Some time goes by, and on March 14 around 9:00am I woke up in so much pain! My upper abdominal felt terrible and I didn't know why. I tried to wake my husband up and he thought I was being dramatic but I... Read More

It’s Friday night. I am lying in a hospital bed in the intensive care unit after giving birth to my twins, at 35 weeks and three days. My blood pressure is 240 over 120 and my whole body is shaking. I have lost control of my muscles and I can’t speak when the doctor asks me if I can hear him. Three other doctors rush into the room and stick a second IV in my other arm. I am now being pumped with drugs in a desperate attempt to reduce my blood pressure which is out of control. I can’t see a white light, but I know I am about to die.
Rewind eight months. My husband and I are trying to get pregnant. We have a beautiful one and a half year old daughter and we want her to have a... Read More

On May 25, 2013 my day was like any other day. 9 Months pregnant and reaching my due date of June 3. I spent the day cleaning and organizing the last of the few things I had left. That Friday May 24 I had put in my notice for maternity leave and was excited to get some rest before my baby was born. To my surprise Saturday night into Sunday morning my water broke. Calm and in disbelief we drove to the hospital. I remember my boyfriend had to stop to get gas. I laugh now, but was ready to strangle him because the contraction were so intense.
Finally, we made it to the hospital around 1230. Did all the paperwork and was finally sent to my room to... Read More

My story begins with my first son. He was due May 17, 2012. I had no idea what preeclampsia was. At 28 weeks, my ob sent me straight to the hospital after a high bp reading as well as protein. I stayed for one week to get steroid shots and procardia to lower the bp. After three days, my ob came in and told me she was going to perform a 24 hour urine test and if it came back negative, we'd be delivering my son that next day. I was scared. Fortunately, after several doses of meds and rest, I was regulated and we were able to make it to 39/1. He came out at 8 lbs 10 oz. Perfect.
Fast forward to 2014. My second son was due July 4th. I had a normal pregnancy until I started swelling... Read More

I am new to the site but was hoping to connect with someone with similar struggles. You hear so many stories that are similar in one aspect or another but usually not someone who has dealt with infertility and HELLP. Let me start by telling my story:
My husband and I are highschool sweethearts who married after being together for 10 years. We wanted to be responsible about starting a family so enjoyed our first year together and decided to wait for me to finish school and get established with my job. I finally convinced him to take the plunge. My entire life all I dreamed about was being a mom, never in my life did I imagine it... Read More

I had been having a lot of pain in my ribs on the right side for a week or so before I went into labor. I never mentioned it to my doctor because I just though I'd twisted funny or carried something I shouldn't have and pulled a muscle. I was taking Tylenol to try and alleviate the pain.
On the night of November 6, 2012 I went... Read More

Pregnancy is the period where a mother nurtures her baby in the womb and develops angiogenic (blood) as well as emotional bond. The family relishes this period, while pampering the expecting mother, and looking forward to welcome their next generation. I was not an exception; every antenatal check-up assured me everything is normal and going well. Pregnancy, however, is not a simple process and the entire scientific community has been struggling to understand the dynamics of this mind that starts with a single cells and ends in a full human child. Since, the entire process happens within the confines of the mother’s womb and the slightest disturbance during... Read More

My journey with HELLP did not end like many HELLP journeys end. While some people who get HELLP have it in their 3rd trimester and both the mom and baby are able to be saved - that was not my story. I'd like to share that my story somehow had this "fairytale" ending after losing my first and only child but my story isn't there yet.

It took my husband and I two years and three early losses to finally get a pregnancy to stick. Thankfully the first half was uneventful, but by 24 weeks my midwife noticed my fundal height was measuring short. Ultrasounds revealed that the baby was measuring behind by a couple of weeks. Small babies run in my family, but I started googling SGA and IUGR, and through IUGR discovered preeclampsia. My blood pressure, always on the low end (105/65 at the first prenatal appointment), was creeping up throughout the pregnancy, rather than dropping like it was supposed to around 20 weeks. I started to think that this would probably happen... Read More

in 2011 I had a wonderful, simple first pregnancy. At 38 weeks my BP elevated slightly and rather than show concern I was induced and had a simple 4 hour labour. Having had a history of mild Hypertension prior to pregnancy, not much more was thought of it and the BP never quite returned to normal before 7 months later when I got pregnant with number 2. 29 weeks again of simple and uneventful pregnancy came to an abrupt end when my Dr called saying my BP was a little high and I should visit the Women's Assessment Unit for a brief check. I stopped by and after several BP checks and protein checks and several hours a decision was made that I had PE and would not be discharged until after... Read More

Many women, when they reach the sixth month of pregnancy, start to think about the “essentials” they need to get prepared: what will the nursery look like? Do I have enough clothes? Disposable or cloth diapers might be questioned. And of course, the unmistaken fear that the hospital bag won’t be packed on time.
My mind was most definitely on my “hospital bag” in this, my second pregnancy because the check list this pregnancy is much different than the last time. I am not worried about the baby’s coming-home gown, a breast pump, comfortable PJs, or slippers---I have one article of clothing on my mind and that is all I believed I needed… A PROM DRESS.
Yes, you... Read More

I was pregnant for 35 weeks when my blood pressure spiked. I had never had blood pressure or cardiovascular issues before. My O/B told me to get a blood pressure monitor. I bought an Omron and monitored my pressure at home. The O/B had me do a 24 hour urine collection to test for protein. The analysis came out borderline. I kept monitoring my pressure until the following Friday when I was 36 weeks pregnant. That was January 23, 2015.
I went to my O/B for a normal check up that morning. They measured my pressure and it was high. My O/B decided to reschedule my upcoming ultrasound... Read More

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Normal web site usageThe Preeclampsia Foundation has a firm commitment to Internet privacy. You can visit most portions of preeclampsia.org without telling us who you are and without revealing any personal information. The only information we collect from a normal web site visit is the name of your Internet Service Provider, the browser and type of machine you are using, the web site that referred you to us, the pages you request and the date and time you request them. We use this information to generate statistics and measure site activity to improve the usefulness of the site to our visitors.

Collection of personally identifiable informationThe Preeclampsia Foundation may collect names, email addresses and other personally identifiable data about visitors when such data is voluntarily submitted to preeclampsia.org. For example, our site uses forms for visitors to register or make a donation online. Contact information from these forms is used to send information about preeclampsia or Foundation activity to our visitors. Financial information is used to bill or provide receipts to visitors in connection with their donations. To ensure the security of credit card and personal information, this Web site employs industry-standard security methods, including the Secure Socket Layers (SSL) protocol for the encryption of transmitted data. The Preeclampsia Foundation goes to great lengths to protect the confidentiality and integrity of any personal information you share with us over the Internet. In instances where we may partner with medical organizations to conduct research on preeclampsia, your participation may be expressly requested, but your permission would be required prior to sharing personally identifiable data with authorized medical organizations.

The Preeclampsia Foundation makes every effort to ensure the secure collection and transmission of sensitive user information using industry accepted data collection and encryption methodologies.

Donor Privacy PolicyThe Preeclampsia Foundation does not sell or otherwise disclose user information outside the organization. We will not sell, trade or share a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

Should you wish to review or make corrections to your personal information, please click Login/Join at the top of the page and enter your login information. A page titled "Edit Your Details" will appear in the main body of the page where you can view and make corrections. If you wish to be removed entirely from our database, please email info@preeclampsia.org.

CookiesWe do not use cookies on the majority of our website pages. The donate pages do use "per session" cookies. Per session cookies last only for the life of your current browser load and use no permanent storage on your hard drive. The use of per session cookies is very common in modern Web sites.